Die in skydiving accident in France as aircraft crashes'straight down'

A skydiving accident in eastern France killed all 11 people on board, marking the country’s deadliest general aviation accident tied to skydiving, according to authorities. The crash occurred in Tomblaine and killed five instructors, five students, and the pilot. A source close to the case and Thierry Pechey, head of the Meurthe-et-Moselle nursing council, said the students were a group of nurses. Mayor of Nancy, Mathieu Klein, said the victims died in full view of loved ones who were preparing to film the tandem skydives. The report describes the aircraft as having fallen “straight down,” consistent with officials’ accounts that it plunged vertically after takeoff. Police cordoned off the wreckage following the incident.